3rd Air Defence Regiment (Earl Grey's Own)

The 3rd Air Defence Regiment (Earl Grey's Own) , RBCA is a regiment of the BC Army, and is an air defence unit of the Royal Regiment of British Columbia Artillery.

A Battery is an active force formation equipped with surface-to-air missiles, while B Battery is a Militia (reserve force) formation equipped with towed anti-aircraft guns.

Some ranks in Royal BC Artillery units are different from those in other Army units. Specifically, in in all units of the Royal Regiment of British Columbia Artillery a Private is called a Gunner (Gnr), a Lance Corporal is called a Lance Bombardier (L Bdr) and a Corporal is called a Bombardier (Bdr).

History
The 3rd Air Defence Regiment (Earl Grey's Own) traces its origins back to the establishment in 1877 of the Prince Rupert Artillery Regiment at Prince Rupert. In 1903, the Governor General of the time, Albert Henry George Grey, 4th Earl Grey, authorised the establishment of the Haida Regiment of Infantry, which in 1905 was renamed Earl Grey's Own Haida Regiment of Infantry. Both the Prince Rupert Artillery and the Earl Grey's Own Haida Regiment served in Europe during the Great War.

As part of the 1920 restructuring of British Columbia's artillery units, the Prince Rupert Artillery Regiment was redesignated as the 3rd Artillery Regiment (The Prince Rupert Regiment), and in 1921, it was converted to an air defence regiment and was renamed 3rd Air Defence Regiment (The Prince Rupert Regiment). During the Second World War it served primarily to defend the Prince Rupert area from possible Japanese aerial attack, but two of the four batteries also took part in the Aleutian Islands campaign of 1942-43.

The Earl Grey's Own Haida Regiment remained an infantry regiment, and served in the Pacific theatre during the Second World War in a number of campaigns, including the Aleutian campaign. In 1952, the regiment was mobilised and formed part of BC's contribution to the Commonwealth effort in the Malayan Emergency, in which it served from 1952 until 1955.

Following the return of the Earl Grey's Own Haida Regiment to BC in 1955, the Ministry of Defence intended to disband the unit, but due to public pressure instead decided to amalgamate the unit with the 3rd AD Regiment. The newly-formed regiment was named 3rd Air Defence Regiment (Earl Grey's Own) at that time.

Battle Honours

 * First World War: (multiple)
 * Second World War: Aleutian Islands 1942-43; (multiple others)
 * Malaya 1952-1955

Equipment

 * RBL 20-pounder Armstrong field gun (95.3 mm) (1877-1906)
 * BL 15-pounder 7 cwt field gun (76.2 mm) (1899-1918)
 * BL 5-inch howitzer (127 mm) (1899-1920)
 * QF 13-pounder field gun (76.2 mm) (1904-1939)
 * Universal Carrier armoured personnel carrier (1936-1945)
 * Bofors QF 40 mm anti-aircraft gun (40 mm) (1936-1988)
 * QF 3.7-inch anti-aircraft gun (94 mm) (1938-1968)
 * C15TA armoured truck (1944-1955)
 * Polsten 20 mm anti-aircraft gun (20 mm) (1945-1953)
 * Tigercat surface-to-air missile (1968-1979)
 * Rapier surface-to-air missile (1977 to date)
 * Oerlikon GDF-005 anti-aircraft gun (35 mm) with Skyguard radar (1986 to date)

Regimental Alliances

 * Australia Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery
 * Canada Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery
 * India Regiment of Artillery
 * New Zealand Royal Regiment of New Zealand Artillery
 * Rhodesia Royal Regiment of Rhodesian Artillery
 * South Africa South African Artillery Corps
 * United Kingdom Royal Regiment of Artillery